Alexandra Eala is set for a second-round clash with World No. 2 Iga Swiatek at the Mutua Madrid Open, just one month after her stunning upset win over Swiatek in the Miami quarterfinals. The Filipina wild card earned her spot by defeating Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-2 in 1 hour and 16 minutes on the first day of competition.
Eala`s remarkable run to the Miami semifinals, where she also beat Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys, propelled her into the Top 100 for the first time. She currently holds a career-high ranking of No. 72. Her 6-2, 7-5 victory against Swiatek, notably one of only three tour-level losses for the Pole against players outside the Top 100, was a major surprise, making the upcoming rematch highly anticipated.
Eala, who attributed her success in Miami partly to her “professionalism,” stated she has already put that achievement behind her and is focusing forward.
Following her win over Tomova, Eala commented, “Now that the dust has settled, I try not to think about Miami so much. Personally, of course it comes to mind when everyone’s asking – but in my mind, I have my whole life to look back at those moments and I`ll always have those memories. But the tour goes on, competition goes on, so right now I`m fully focused on Madrid.”
This will be the 19-year-old`s second tournament since Miami. Last week, as the top seed at the Oeiras WTA 125, she was defeated in the second round by Panna Udvardy. However, she put that loss behind her to deliver an aggressive and intense performance against Tomova in Madrid, hitting 27 winners compared to her opponent`s seven and capitalizing on six of her nine break points to win her opening match in Madrid for the second consecutive year.
Meanwhile, defending champion Swiatek is also looking to improve her recent results as the clay season heats up. Last week, she lost in the Stuttgart quarterfinals to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko, making her record against the Latvian 0-6. Swiatek hasn`t reached a final since Roland Garros last year. Getting revenge for the Miami loss against Eala on her favoured clay court would be a significant start in Madrid.
Eala, for her part, doesn`t anticipate the match playing out the same way.
“I definitely think that each match is a different story,” she stated. “Even if it`s against the same player every time – doesn`t matter if I play her at the same time next year in Miami or in Madrid next year, it`s going to be a different story than the last one.”
